So you think you can sword fight?

We asked fight choreographer Henry Montelongo to shed some light on what it was like choreographing the sword fighting in Good Company Players’ Camelot.

“In the musical Camelot, Lancelot (Terry Lewis) is challenged by King Arthur’s best knights, Sir Dinadin (Greg Ruud), Sir Sagramore (Daniel Sutherland), and Sir Lionel (Henry Montelongo). So to choreograph these fights I gathered the aforementioned as well as their understudies, Tim Smith, Shawn Williams, and Kodie Egenolf, to work on the individual challenges.

We (director Elizabeth Fiester and myself) wanted to tailor each fight to the individual characters. These would then be incorporated into the show with the goal of moving the story along.

Imagine their surprise at the first fight rehearsal when the guys didn’t even get to pick up a sword! Instead we focused on footwork. But that’s how it works. First footwork for balance which helps blade control. Then blade work, followed by the actual fight choreography.

Of course it doesn’t end once the choreography is put in the show. There will be fight call throughout the run of Camelot. We’ll go over the choreography before every performance. All in all the guys have done a great job and worked very hard in putting this together, we hope you enjoy it.”